Rebl Corp look-alike launched by US subsidiary head

ONE of the heads of Rebl Corp's US subsidiaries has started a new company using a business model similar to Rebl Corp's Australian arm which is currently being investigated by the government.

Ben Smithwick is listed as a manager, bookkeeper and receiver for Rebl Corp's, Media Rebl and Digital Rebl, which are registered in Florida as Limited Liability Companies.

The Australian arms of the companies went into liquidation on Friday after dozens of staff were told on Thursday they had lost their jobs.

The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman has since launched an investigation.

Mr Smithwick's new Florida-based business, Speqtra Media, claims to have been operating since 2013, but documents show the company wasn't registered until January 23 this year.

The Limited Liability Company boasts on its LinkedIn profile as having "unrivalled success in Australia", prompting it to branch out to the US to "help more small businesses take advantage of the benefits of video marketing".

The company is an authorised seller of Digital Rebl's customer-relationship management (CRM) software.

Rebl Corp's "free" social media package involved the company leasing its CRM to Media Rebl's customers through a third-party leasing finance company.

When a client obtained a lease package, Rebl Corp was paid a one-off bulk payment by a finance company and then Digital Rebl would pay the monthly cost of the lease to the client.

The contracts signed by Rebl Corp's clients absolved the company of paying the monthly amount should they collapse.

Mr Smithwick was contacted for comment, but did not reply by deadline.

Speqtra offers an $866 a month standard video package which includes one 15-second video per month for 24 months as well as access to Digital Rebl's CRM.

Digital Rebl offered the same service, for the same price, except the videos were 30 seconds long.

A co-branded video production package was also offered by both companies, in which branding was placed on the videos.

Despite Speqtra claiming to post co-branded clients' videos across its social media platforms to "double" their exposure, the company has no social media presence.

Mr Smithwick is further listed as president of Viewble Media's US arm.

Viewble Media went into liquidation in January 2019, leaving more than 1100 small businesses trapped in contracts worth an estimated $31 million, according to Mumbrella.

The businesses took out $430 a month contracts with the company to install televisions in their stores which would show advertising.

They were told the advertising commissions would off-set the leasing cost of the television, but when Viewble Media went under, the businesses were left in contracts with third-party financiers.

Mr Smithwick also founded Ausphil Outsourcing, a call centre based in the Philippines, which went into liquidation in August last year.